When Cobb met Fry
by RomanceGuru
Summary: My take on when Kaylee first meets Jayne, pre-series. Also including Wash. Oneshot. “She'd never been afraid of either him; or his guns.”


When Cobb met Fry

Prompt: "She'd never been afraid of either him; or his guns."  
Timeline: Pre-Series, when Jayne first boards.

A/N Ficlet for Bookaddict43 because she has the power to make me go where I've never gone before.

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Wash and Kaylee stood above on the catwalk, watching curiously as the newest member of their crew loaded his belongings onto the ship. One by one, the large, gruff looking man unrolled his artillery out on the cargo bay floor, where he checked each piece from top to bottom and then rolled them back up again, snug and swathed like newborn babies.

"That's an awful lot of guns." Kaylee observed, all wide-eyed and intrigued as she watched the stranger work. He barely stopped for a breath, just kept moving.

"All the better to kill you with in your sleep, my pretty." Wash teased, adding a poor imitation of a witch's cackle.

"Stop." Kaylee scolded, as both she and Wash tilted their heads in unison, watching in a stupor as the thug peeled off his shirt, gave it a good sniff, and then spit in it.

"He looks pretty much harmless." Kaylee concluded distractedly, no doubt half persuaded by a very bare and manly chest.

"Except for the excessive weaponry, and the muscles." Wash counted off, mirroring Kaylee's look of awe. "Speaking of which, how does one obtain such diameters?" Looking down at his own biceps, he flexed and then frowned before announcing, "I need to find the protein he's snacking on."

Focusing intently, the man used a small corner of the spit and sweat soaked shirt to rub a mark off the tiniest handgun you ever did see. Either that, or his hand was just so massive, that it made the thing appear to be mini.

"Unless it's small babies." Wash amended, swallowing heavily and for the first time since meeting Zoe, intimidated. "In that case, I'm out."

"I don't know." Kaylee began contemplatively. "I bet he just wants us to think he's mean. But you can tell that ain't the case just by lookin' at him."

"Yeah, how so?" Wash inquired in an amused tone. "Could it be the Tattoo? Or maybe it's the merry array of knife wounds?"

Kaylee seemed immune to the sarcasm as she revealed wistfully, "He has a sorta kindness around the eyes."

"I'm pretty sure that's just dirt." Wash pointed out. "The man needs to be introduced to the likes of a shower and fast."

"Be nice." Kaylee chided. "Captain says he was runnin' with real terrible folk before we found him. Probably just don't know any other way to be."

Gripping the railing, Kaylee leaned over and called to the merc. "Hi, down there!"

Jayne Cobb looked up to the source of the cheery voice, his wary blue eyes dancing from her pretty face to the funny-looking man standing next to her.

"I'm Kaylee, ship's mechanic." She introduced, pointing at herself and then to her friend of nearly a year. "And this here is Wash. He can pilot Serenity without so much as a hiccup "

Wash lifted a hand, spreading his fingers. "Greetings, sizeable one. We come in peace."

Grunting disinterestedly, Jayne returned his attention to the gun laying flat in his palm. He really didn't care much to know anyone aboard. He was just here to do the job and get paid and socializing wasn't any part of that.

"I think you're gonna like it here," Kaylee continued, trying once more to engage the man into some semblance of conversation. Jayne looked back up at her, narrowing his eyes as if trying to figure out the woman's game.

Smiling knowingly, Wash shook his head and turned to walk away. He knew the _Kaylee has a man-crush _drill. It was best get far away when that happened. Too many girlish hormones floating about made the environment unstable. Yep, he'd just go do something manly, like alphabetize his dinosaurs again.

"We're all real friendly," The mechanic explained cheerily, making her way down to the cargo bay. "Except when there's trouble. That's not to say that there _is_ trouble…much. That is, if ya don't count the time Zoe got shot and captain just about near lost an arm." Smiling warmly, she shrugged her small shoulders. "But other than that, Serenity's the best place in the 'verse to hang your hat."

Jayne set aside his gun on the crate next to him as the girl approached. She was a tiny thing and young looking too. "What'd ya say yer name was?" He asked gruffly, speaking for the first time.

Showing off her pretty white teeth, Kaylee smiled again, brushing her greasy hand against her coveralls before extending it. "Kaywinnit Lee Frye. But you can just call me little Kaylee. The captain and Wash always do."

Looking at the slender hand suspiciously, Jayne hesitated.

"Come on, now." She encouraged. "I don't bite." There was a twinkle in her eye before she added, "Least not upon first meetin' folk."

Cracking a small, yet lecherous grin, the merc's resolve melted, seeming to have been won over. Taking her small hand in his large one, he shook it firmly.

"Name's Jayne Cobb. But most just call me…uh…" Scrunching up his face, he thought for a moment, before adding most unoriginally, "Jayne Cobb."

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End file.
